April is here, and it comes with a feature-packed update to Xbox One. We unveiled some of these new features on the premiere episode of Inside Xbox last month (and I did a walk through of the features on Inside Xbox episode 2). This month, we’re announcing that they’ll become available to Xbox One owners around the world over the next few days. Here’s a quick rundown of what to expect:

Video & Display

We’ve added a bunch of new video features we hope you’ll enjoy, starting with Auto Low-Latency Mode (or ALLM for short). Auto Low-Latency Mode enables the family of Xbox One devices to notify your display when you’re playing a game, so a TV that also supports ALLM will know to switch to its low latency video mode. Many displays refer to low latency mode as “game mode.”

Gamers will also enjoy the newly introduced support for variable refresh rate output to AMD Radeon FreeSync and FreeSync 2 compatible displays. AMD Radeon FreeSync is a form of variable refresh rate which helps to reduce input latency and minimize display stuttering, delivering a buttery-smooth visual gameplay experience in your favorite games. The entire Xbox One family of devices will work with FreeSync-certified displays. Xbox One S and Xbox One X will also support high dynamic range with AMD Radeon FreeSync 2.

In addition, Xbox One X and Xbox One S now support output at 2560 x 1440 (1440p) resolution for games and media. With over a million and a half more pixels than 1080p, this resolution offers even more choice between Full HD and 4K displays. This feature should be especially appealing to Xbox One owners who use a 1440p display for PC gaming. Media apps can now add an option for 1440p output for on both Xbox One X and Xbox One S. Developers can also now enable games to run at native 1440p resolution on Xbox One X.

You can enable all these video options from the Settings menu on your Xbox One. Just navigate to “Display & Sound,” then “Video Output.” Note that you’ll only be able to turn on these settings if your TV or monitor supports them.

Streaming & Captures

This month, we’re also introducing a new Mixer Interactive feature called Share Controller. Mixer streamers on Xbox One can now share control of their game with a viewer on Mixer.com. Just turn on the “Share Controller” toggle from the Broadcast & Capture section in Guide and your viewers will be able to share control through a virtual controller in their web browser, or by plugging a physical controller into their PC.

You can also now start Mixer broadcasts from anywhere on Xbox One, making streaming easier than ever. If you decide to switch games or exit to the dashboard, your viewers will see a pause animation until you jump back into a game. You will also see a pause animation on your broadcasting status bar on your screen.

In addition, you can now share captured screenshots and clips directly to Twitter, after authenticating your account, from the Broadcast & Capture tab of the Guide. Shared captures will now display and play directly in your Twitter feed instead of showing up as a link. We’ll also help you get your content discovered by suggesting a hashtag for the title of the game. Want to follow clips shared by Xbox gamers? Track clips with the #XboxShare hashtag!

Xbox Insiders have seen this option for a while, but now everyone can choose to switch between light and dark themes on your Xbox One based on the time of day. You can also personalize your theme to automatically transition from dark to light based on sunrise and sunset in your location. We’ve also added a new high-contrast light theme option, which makes on-screen elements easier to see.

Audio & Ease of Access

Based on fan feedback, we’re making additional improvements to Narrator on Xbox One. Narrator volume can now be adjusted independently from system audio volume. We’ve also introduced a new input learning mode to the Narrator menu. With input learning mode enabled, the Narrator on Xbox One will say the name of whatever button you press on an attached input device. High contrast light theme and narrator options can both be adjusted in the Ease of Access menu in Settings.

If you love to stream music while gaming, you will be happy to hear that you can now selectively balance game audio against background music within the Guide. Simply navigate down to the app that is playing background music in the Guide. Press “A” to open a new flyout with additional music controls, including a new slider that will allow you to adjust the balance of background music and game audio.

We’ve also made audio enhancements in the Xbox One dashboard itself. System sounds on Home and in the Guide have been completely revamped to support spatial audio, so the audio cues from your surround sound system will match the actions you see on-screen.

Apps

The Microsoft Edge browser on Xbox One has been updated to a more modern look and feel. Enhancements to history and favorites make it easy for you to get back to your favorite sites. Other new features include tab muting, read aloud and autofill. You can also now download and upload pictures, music, and videos from Microsoft Edge on Xbox One; your downloaded content can then be browsed with the File Explorer app.

Clubs, Game Hubs & Tournaments

Community tournaments are now available directly in Game Hubs for supported games. This means you no longer need to own or be the admin of a club to create a tournament. To get started, open the Game Hub for a game that supports tournaments. Head to the “Multiplayer” tab and select “Community tournaments” then choose the option for “Create tournament.”

Club feeds have also gained new filters to show you “what’s new,” “what’s hot” or “top posts.” Additionally, you can now lock the comments on your feed posts across clubs, Game Hubs, and Community, so the only person in control of the narrative is you.

If you’re a club owner or admin, you can now filter invitation requests based on several criteria, including Gamerscore, play time, reputation, Xbox Live Gold status, and recommendations from club members. Club invitation filters will persist until the administrator changes them, so if you set or edit club invitation filters, they will still be there the next time you sign-in.

In addition to all these new features on Xbox One, a subset of users may also see additional experimental features that we didn’t mention here. These features are only enabled for a portion of the Xbox audience to gauge interest and collect feedback.

Many of our Xbox Insiders have already had the chance to play with these features. If you would like to join them, getting started as an Xbox Insider is easy! Just download the Xbox Insider Hub app on your Xbox One or Windows 10 PC and select your desired ring. Visit the Xbox Insider blog here for release notes.

We are pleased to introduce Arena on Xbox Live to the broader community for Killer Instinct! Also arriving with this month’s update are overlays for Party Chat, Wi-Fi Captive Portal, and Looking for Group improvements; and be on the lookout for an app from Dolby Atmos in the coming weeks! These features were all previously available for Xbox Insiders for testing and feedback, and are now ready for the broader community. Keep the feedback coming!

Here’s more about the new features beginning to roll out today:

Arena on Xbox Live Tournaments for Killer Instinct

Launching today on your Xbox One, you’ll find a new tab labeled ‘Tournaments’ in the Game Hub. Within this tab, you’ll be able to see upcoming tournaments you can register for directly on your Xbox One dashboard for Killer Instinct.

When it’s time to check in for your tournament, you’ll receive a notification directly on your console, or through the Xbox app on your Windows 10, iOS or Android device. You can then easily join your tournament, launching directly into your game from your Xbox One or Xbox app on Windows 10 PCs – and be ready to fight for glory, honor, and prizes.

Gamer-Created Tournaments come to Arena on Xbox Live

Also launching to your Xbox One, are the first ever gamer-created tournaments through Arena for Killer Instinct. You will be able to create tournaments for your Xbox Live Club in the Xbox app on Windows 10 PCs. Simply go to a Club page for a Club in which you are an owner or admin (or create a Club just for your tournaments!) and navigate to the ‘Tournaments’ tab. There you’ll see an option to create a tournament – set the date and time, tweak settings, and enter a description – and a few clicks later you have your very own tournament scheduled! Be sure to advertise your tournament to your Club’s Activity Feed to recruit players and hope you can stay friends even after you take first place.

Looking for Group Posting Notification

We’ve made posting in Looking for Group (LFG) to game with others even easier. With LFG notifications, you can be notified when anyone you follow creates an LFG post. Since the feature was first released last fall, gamers have created over 15 million posts! Want to let more people know about an LFG post? Now you also can share it to an Activity Feed or in a message.

Clubs on Xbox Live and Beam Integration

Clubs on Xbox Live now helps streamers and their followers find each other. The new ’Beam’ tab added to Clubs shows all Beam broadcasts from Club members, and new controls let Club owners filter broadcasts based on games and stream maturity rating.

Party Overlay Updates

It is now more simple to stay connected with your Party, which is why you now have the option to overlay the speaking Party members’ names – even when the Guide isn’t showing. Controls let you change the overlay’s position and transparency.

Dolby Atmos App

Following its April debut for Windows 10 PCs, the Dolby Access app will be available soon on your Xbox One and Xbox One S. This app enables Dolby Atmos audio, creating sound that flows around you, even overhead, through Dolby Atmos enabled AVRs and sound bars. With an additional store purchase, Dolby Atmos for Headphone enables this same immersive experience on almost any set of headphones.

The experience delivers breakthrough audio that takes you deeper inside your favorite games, movies, and TV shows. For gamers, a robust slate of native Dolby Atmos titles are coming to Xbox One later this year. Additionally, the upmixing capabilities of Dolby Atmos will create a more immersive audio experience for your existing multichannel games.

Thanks to your invaluable feedback, we continue to make improvements and updates. There will be more updates over the coming months; we plan to build and expand Arena on Xbox Live in both the Arena experience and participating titles. Please keep your feedback coming and stay tuned for more.

Last month, we released several fan-inspired feature updates to the community. This month, we are starting to roll out even more features including a new Party overlay to help you see who’s speaking in your group, more fan-requested improvements to Looking for Group on Xbox Live and the Activity Feed, and later this month Killer Instinct tournaments powered by Arena on Xbox Live.

Since we announced Arena at E3 2016, and first launched it to Xbox Insiders this past fall, the team has been hard at work building and refining Arena to make esports available for gamers on Xbox Live, regardless of their skill-level. Huge thank you to Xbox fans for sharing your thoughts on the feature – your feedback has had a direct impact helping us evolve the Arena experience, and will help ensure the feature is great when it rolls out broadly. Over the next month, we will open up World of Tanks tournaments on Arena to more Insiders, and we’re excited to launch Killer Instinct tournaments, including the ability for users to create their own tournaments in their Clubs. Here is a little more about the great new features coming to Arena, as well a look at other features coming to Xbox Insiders in the coming weeks.

Arena on Xbox Live

In addition to World of Tanks on Arena in partnership with ESL, later this month Killer Instinct on Arena is back for select Xbox Insiders! You can discover, register, and play in both official and user-generated tournaments in Clubs across Xbox One and Windows 10. Get notifications when your match is ready, enjoy automatic results reporting, and show off the results on your Activity Feed when you’re done.

Want to create your own Killer Instinct tournament? Starting this month, Club owners and administrators can create and host tournaments in their Clubs. Download the Xbox app (beta) on your Windows 10 PC, go to your Club and click on the “Tournaments” tab then select “Create tournament.” Fill out your tournament info and publish your event. Other members of that Club, or guests if they are allowed, on either PC or Xbox One can then discover, join, and play in your tournament.

As Arena continues to grow, be on the lookout for more tournaments with games like Halo Wars 2 and Smite, as well as gamer-created tournaments for World of Tanks. And watch for more details about our first public Arena-powered prized tournament: The Killer Instinct Battle for New York, where eight top Killer Instinct players will win a trip to compete for over $10k in cash and prizes in our New York Microsoft Store studio. We’re really excited to bring the excitement of competitive gaming to the community on Xbox One and Windows 10 – it’s never been easier to compete on Xbox Live.

Party Overlay

We’ve recently shipped several multitasking features, including the Achievement tracker, to improve your gaming experience. With this update, we are adding a new overlay that will tell you who’s speaking in your Party, without having to open the Guide. When you are in a Party, go to the Guide to enable the overlay. Just like the Achievement tracker, you can choose where on the screen you want to place the overlay and how transparent it will be. The window will show the Gamertag of the player whenever they speak, and when no one is talking, the window will be invisible. This is particularly useful for Looking for Group and other scenarios where you might not know all the members of your Party.

Fan-Requested Feature Updates

Building on the update we shipped last month, we are continuing to improve features based on input from the community, which you can read about below:

Share your Looking for Group post on the Activity Feed or through a message

For Beam and Twitch broadcasts, you will now have an option in the Guide for your Kinect to locate you automatically.

Captive Portal support for wireless internet is coming to Xbox One, which allows for Wi-Fi authentication through a browser. Great for colleges, hotels, or public Wi-Fi locations.

Filter posts on your Activity Feed on the Xbox app for iOS and Android

On the Xbox app for Windows 10, we’re adding the option to select the audio input and output sources for Party chat.

As mentioned earlier, these updates will start to roll out today and in the coming weeks. And as always, keep letting us know what you think about our features at Xbox Feedback. Your input is invaluable as we continue to evolve the Xbox experience. Thank you!

Today, at an event in New York City, Microsoft unveiled the Windows 10 Creators Update, a free update coming in early 2017 with a host of new features that empower people to create and share their experiences with others. For gamers, the Windows 10 Creators Update will allow anyone to easily broadcast their gameplay and create their own tournaments on the fastest, most reliable multiplayer network – Xbox Live.

Beam Integration Makes Game Broadcasting Easy and More Interactive

Today, gamers on Windows 10 PCs can enjoy seamless access to gaming features via Game bar (by pressing Windows key and G) like Game DVR, making it easy to share your epic gaming moments with your friends via Xbox Live. We’re excited to announce that, with the release of the Creators Update in early 2017, Game bar will allow gamers to start a Beam broadcast for any game almost instantly.

By bringing Beam to Xbox, we’re creating more interactive gaming experiences for both the player and the viewer on Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs, allowing you to watch live game streams and give you the ability to interact in real time with broadcasters. Best of all, Beam technology will be built right into Windows 10 and Xbox One, so anyone can become a game broadcaster.

Arena on Xbox Live Adds Gamer-Generated Tournaments

Arena on Xbox Live (available in Preview today) brings the healthy fun of competitive gaming to everyone, regardless of skill-level. Today, we announced gamer-created tournaments are coming to Arena on Xbox Live, allowing you easily define the rules of competition by setting your tournament style, inviting friends and tracking tournament progress seamlessly across your devices, whether it’s on Xbox One or Windows 10. Creating and managing your own tournaments on Xbox Live has never been easier.

Arena on Xbox Live is powered by the world’s most advanced gaming community, uniting gamers across Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs, and fueled by hundreds of thousands of servers to deliver maximum performance while reducing lag and cheating.

Plus, with new features like Clubs, Looking for Group and Arena on Xbox Live, and cross-play between Xbox One and Windows 10 PC, we make it easier than ever to connect with people who have shared interests and have fun together on Xbox Live.

Xbox One S is This Holiday’s Must-Have Console

The smaller and sleeker Xbox One S is available now, delivering more power, built-in UHD 4K Blu-ray, 4K video streaming, and High Dynamic Range for video and gaming – all starting at $299. With Xbox One S, you get one of the top 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray players on the market, giving you the ability to watch Blu-ray movies and stream video in stunning 4K Ultra HD with HDR, including content from partners like Netflix (available now) and Amazon Video (available later this year). With four times the resolution of standard HD, 4K Ultra HD delivers the clearest, most realistic video possible, making Xbox One S the console to buy this holiday.

What’s more, we’ve got a great lineup of Xbox One S bundles available for some of our top blockbuster titles this holiday, letting you get the most for your gaming dollar and choose the title and hard drive that’s right for you, with 500GB, 1TB and 2TB consoles.

Finally, audio enthusiasts will be excited to learn that bitstream audio pass-through including Dolby Atmos support is coming soon to Xbox One with our Blu-ray player.